NISS Affiliates Program

NISS/SAMSI University Affiliates Program

Update: August 2006

• Affiliates Working Groups, whose purpose is to move from discussion of problems to research of direct benefit to affiliates. We plan initial working groups on pharmaceuticals, data confidentiality and data quality. Groups will meet from time to time in person and more frequently via {Web/tele/video}-conferencing, using new facilities currently being installed at NISS/SAMSI.
  
  
• Exploration Workshops, whose purposes are to explore opportunities for the statistical sciences in various scientific areas and to help the statistical science community move to address them, as well as assist NISS and SAMSI in setting priorities that serve affiliates. We will solicit ideas for exploration workshops from affiliates, and we hope to most of them at affiliates sites.

2. NISS FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY DINNER. The dinner, held on Saturday, August 5, 2006 at the Hotel Andra in Seattle, came off splendidly, thanks in large part to the organizational and planning efforts by Nell Sedransk. Nell and I are especially delighted that representatives of so many affiliates were able to attend. You may wish to take a look at:

• A wonderful five-part photo collage of the history of NISS, prepared by Nell, Martha Williamson and me, which is at http://www.niss.org/photogallery/15th_Anniversary/collage/index.html. Most of you will be able to find yourself in at least one of the photos. The full-scale versions are being framed and will hang at NISS.
  
  
• Portraits of the eight people who have played major roles in the formation and development of NISS (plus one other person). These were done as part of the 15th anniversary celebration, and now hang at NISS. You can see them at http://www.niss.org/photogallery/linedrawings/wallofhonor.html.
  

3. 2006 NISS AWARDS. This years's NISS awards, announced at the NISS/SAMSI JSM reception, are:

• The 2006 Jerome Sacks Award for Cross-Disciplinary Research was presented to ADRIAN RAFTERY, Blumstein-Jordan Professor of Statistics and Sociology, and faculty affiliate of the Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences, at the University of Washington. For details see http://www.niss.org/sacksaward/sacksaward-recipient06.html.
  
  
• The 2006 NISS Distinguished Service Awards were presented to four people (all from affiliates!) without whom NISS would not exist: NANCY FLOURNOY (Missouri), INGRAM OLKIN (Stanford), JEROME SACKS and DANIEL SOLOMON (North Carolina State). For citations and a photo, see http://www.niss.org/ds-award/dsa-index.html.
  
  
• 2006 NISS New Researcher Fellowships were awarded to SCOTT HOLAN (Statistics, Missouri) and SHERRY WANG (Statistical Science Southern Methodist). Both are from affiliates! For details and a photo, see http://www.niss.org/newresearcher/2006-07/newresearcher0607.html.
  

4. NISS-CIIT POSTDOC PROGRAM. In 2003 NISS and the CIIT Centers for Health Research (http://www.ciit.org/) created a jointly funded postdoctoral program, under which we appointed one excellent postdoc. Various factors at CIIT then intervened, and the program went into suspension. Happily, CIIT wishes to re-activate it, and we will be recruiting starting immediately. NISS Assistant Director Stan Young and Kevin Gaido of CIIT will have scientific oversight.

• SAMSI Program on Development, Assessment and Utilization of Complex Computer Models: Opening Workshop and Tutorials (September 10-14, 2006, Radisson RTP).
  See http://www.samsi.info/workshops/2006compmod-kickoff200609.shtml for details.
  
  
• SAMSI Program on High Dimensional Inference and Random Matrices: Opening Workshop and Tutorials (September 17-20, 2006, Radisson RTP).
  See http://www.samsi.info/workshops/2006ranmat-opening200609.shtml for details.
  
  
• Army Conference on Applied Statistics (October 16-20, 2006, Research Triangle Park). NISS is a co-sponsor.
  
  
• NISS Affiliates Workshop on Chemometrics (Date TBA)
  

• Sixth Annual Winemiller Conference: Methodological Developments of Statistics in the Social Sciences (October 11-14, 2006, Columbia, MO)